It has been estimated that there may be as much as 317 quadrillion cubic feet of methane gas stored in methane hydrates in the coastal waters of the United States. Although this source of methane would provide a large source of energy, the extraction of the methane from oceanic methane hydrates is reported to be technically difficult or impossible, and potentially dangerous to the environment. Methane hydrate is considered unstable in the ocean environment because it is less dense than sea water and slight changes in pressure or temperature can cause the ice containing the methane to fail and release significant amounts of methane into the environment. It is understood that a mass release of methane into the sea and atmosphere could have catastrophic consequences on the climate and the economy.
In addition to environmental concerns, evidence suggests that seismic events and weakening the lattice-like structure of gas hydrates has triggered underwater methane releases and landslides. The extraction of methane hydrate, if done improperly, could cause sudden disruptions on the ocean floor that trigger releases of additional methane gas from such hydrates. Furthermore, it is understood that the warming of ocean waters can prompt the mass release of methane over time as frozen methane hydrates melt, decay, and/or otherwise fail and release methane into the environment.
In light of the foregoing and other drawbacks currently associated with the stability and extraction of methane, there remains a need to collect methane gas escaping from the ocean floor due to natural or other ocean events, such as the warming of ocean waters. There also remains a need to provide a safe and controllable method for extracting methane from the ocean floor.